Take the trip, have a mango & eat the cake

About

Hi, I’m Savita and I am a dessert and mango-holic!

Ice cream, tiramisu, chocolate ganache cakes, julie mangoes, carrot cakes, I’ll have any that I can get my tongue on. My new mission in life is to sample desserts, mangoes, scenery, people and culture from every corner of the globe possible. Will you join me?

The Back Story

I am a 30-something year old female from the Caribbean islands of Trinidad and Tobago (I’ll save you the Google… Click here).In 2008, I graduated from the University of the West Indies with a B.Sc. in Computer Science & Management and went on to work for one of the leading Telecommunications providers in the country and the Caribbean region. There I stayed building my career in Business Intelligence and Data Analysis for over 9 years! I wanted a beach house on the north coast of the island so I set out to achieve this goal. I worked hard, worked long hours, earned those salary increases, achieved the promotions and completed an M.B.A. from the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business specializing in entrepreneurship. Back then, I hardly ever travelled. My trips were either to visit family, work or escape to a beach in Barbados (more on Barbados later) for a couple days.

Then life changed, the local economy went into a recession, jobs became less secure, I was no longer passionate about my career path and I was not really interested in that beach house dream anymore. I realized that I needed to change my direction and I desperately wanted to throw myself into something new.

In February 2017, I went to Egypt and Jordan against everyone’s advice (with the exception of travel blogs) and all the “Are you crazy?” remarks because of the political uncertainty and proximity to war zones. It was a great trip! I returned home craving Turkish coffee and hummus everyday. Shortly after the trip, I pondered the when and where of the next destination. I realized that I wanted to get out and roam the world a bit more. I started researching temporary jobs on a nature reserve in Tanzania. My sister then recommended the book Vagabonding by Rolf Potts. After reading about 75% of it, I took the much desired leap, quit my job and began preparing for a different life ahead of solo travel.

Excited for the journey ahead!

To Blog Or Not To Blog?

My friends tend to joke around saying, “Savita has two emotions, happy and pissed off”, so to be honest, blogging is very much out of my comfort zone. I would prefer solving an equation for ‘x’, rather than writing a blog filled with my emotions. That being said, it’s also a very exciting venture because I’ve decided to dive into the world of travelling, volunteering, adventure and much-needed self discovery all on a budget.

For me, this is a great opportunity to learn something new, put that entrepreneurship M.B.A. into action, discover another version of myself, to evolve my storytelling style, to find my passion and make a difference in communities that are underserved. I also want it to be a medium to connect with friends, family and readers (beyond the two emotions) via the journey.

So what do you get out of reading this? I hope that my stories inspire you to take the leap and do something out of the ordinary, be it travelling alone, visiting a conflict region, trying an unconventional delicacy, changing careers or simply finding your zen on a beach. You will bear witness to my many encounters: being lured by a man off the major streets in Cairo to a street with much less foot traffic to his quaint perfume shop that’s been in his family for generations or volunteering in rural regions and the challenges that I’ll face adjusting from a western fairly privileged life to rural and basic. I have faith that you will take away at least one thing from my journey.

So, What’s It About?

It should be noted that I’m a sucker for historical sites generally from the B.C. time period (YAY! Great Pyramids of Giza!), so you’ll definitely find some stories here about the truly impressive ones filled with my OOHs, and AAHs. I will share the good experiences, the stories of the friendships forged, the scams and trying situations that I am sure that I will fall victim, the learnings from people I’ve met, the stories about border security interactions (most people don’t know my country) and resolve of a solo female traveller that lie ahead. You’ll definitely find reviews on all the desserts and juicy mangoes that I discover along the way since I have a very large sweet tooth. Don’t worry, there won’t be any bucket list type posts. I don’t actually have one, I have only an ever evolving items that currently interest me.

Leaping at the Great Pyramids of Giza

You Might Be Wondering….

Is this blog for you? If you are ambitious, usually very busy and seeking a life change then yes. If you want to experience new cultures, if you want to make a contribution to charitable causes, if you’ve ever wondered where to get the best mangoes, maybe you are looking for some advice on travelling on a passport from a generally unknown country or a woman seeking a career change, wanting to step away from the social norm and the daily corporate grind then yes, this blog is for you. There’s no time like the present, so I have faith that you find at least one thing that inspires you to channel that ambition into something positive. If you otherwise come across it, I hope that you enjoy the read.

14 thoughts on “About”

Hi Savita! I thoroughly enjoyed your blog and I’m so much in awe of your bravery; to step out of your comfort zone and attempt something new through your new adventures. I can’t wait to read of the stories of the people you meet and the foods you sample. Good luck on your future travels!

hmmm.. mangoes and rice… no i’ve never tried that. I usually prefer to eat my mangoes fresh and ripe, but that is an interesting combo! I’ve had curried anchar mango though, but still prefer em ripe and fresh!

Good luck on your adventures Savita, and enjoy those Mangos that look delicious. I also grew up in Mexico City with does perfectly ripe Mangos Manila, they are part of my pleasant childhood years when I think back to them.